When the band starts and a match is on the wall at the same time, McCarthy's in La Roma stops being just an Irish pub and becomes one of the loudest, friendliest rooms in the neighbourhood.
Published June 11, 2026 · By Daniel Okafor
McCarthy's Irish Pub CDMX runs its La Roma branch at Querétaro 207, one of several McCarthy's rooms across the city alongside the long-standing Polanco locations. Tripadvisor files it as an Irish rock and sports pub, and that hyphenated identity is the whole pitch: a place that screens the big match, then hands the room over to a live band once the football is done.
The space is built for noise in the best way. Dark wood and Guinness signage, screens placed so the bar and the booths all catch the action, and a small stage that turns weekend nights into a covers gig. The crowd is a generous mix of Roma locals, students and English-speaking visitors, and the staff lean into the loud, easy energy rather than fighting it. The La Roma branch on Querétaro sits within a short walk of the Insurgentes and Cuauhtémoc metro stations, which keeps the after-work footfall steady through the week.
Order simply. The kitchen runs the dependable sports-pub spread of wings, burgers and sharing plates, the food you want with a pint in your other hand rather than a tasting menu. Keep to the beer and you will be drinking the way the room intends. This is not a cocktail destination, and it does not pretend to be one. Reviewers who flag McCarthy's as a fixture of the city's Irish-pub circuit return for the band-and-match formula more than the food, and that is the right way to read the place.
As a Mexico City sports bar, McCarthy's earns its place on the loud end of the spectrum. It carries the marquee European fixtures and the big international nights, and when the live music kicks in afterwards it doubles as one of the area's reliable late rooms. For where each kind of fan gathers across the city, see our guide to the best bars for watching the game in Mexico City.
It sits comfortably alongside the city's other screen-and-pint rooms. Down the road, The Dog House Pub keeps the rugby and the early English game on, in Condesa Buffalo Wild Wings Condesa runs the wings-and-screens formula, and Pinche Gringo BBQ hosts the American football watch parties. For the wider picture, our roundup of the best bars in Mexico City sets the scene.
Time your visit around the listings rather than the hour. Match days fill early, and the band nights pull a separate, later crowd that turns the room over a second time. Go for a derby and stay for the music, or arrive for the gig and let the football be the warm-up.
The mood is the draw. La Roma has tilted hard toward natural-wine bars and tasting rooms in recent years, and McCarthy's holds the line for the people who just want a pint, a match and a singalong. There is something generous about a pub that keeps the door open for that crowd.
What makes McCarthy's worth a night is its refusal to overthink. A loud, welcoming Irish room that screens the game and books a band is a straightforward pleasure, and a useful counterweight to a neighbourhood chasing refinement. Judged on La Roma's own terms, it is one of the area's most dependable rooms for a match and a beer.
Sources: Tripadvisor reviews, McCarthy's Irish Pub CDMX La Roma; McCarthy's Irish Pub Facebook; menuweb and Yelp Irish-pub listings, Mexico City (2026).